


Warrior

by NyxNight



Series: Original Salvatore [1]
Category: The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries & Related Fandoms, The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Angst, BAMF Damon Salvatore, BAMF Elijah Mikaelson, BAMF Enzo, BAMF Kol Mikaelson, Elijah needs a hug, Eventual Romance, Fix-It of Sorts, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Torture, Kol Needs A Hug, Multi, Season/Series 03, damon needs a hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-05
Updated: 2018-11-15
Packaged: 2019-03-27 12:07:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13880532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NyxNight/pseuds/NyxNight
Summary: After Esther is defeated, what if they negotiated peace between the originals and the Mystic Falls gang. What it Enzo had escaped with Damon and they remained best friends. How much would change?





	1. All The Pain

**Author's Note:**

> This is set in Season 3 after Esther is defeated. Any other changes should be explained in the story as it goes along. This is inspired by the Demi Lovato Song, Warrior. I was rewatching some old episodes of vampire diaries and I think the song fits Damon so perfectly. I hate how he was often portrayed as a villain so this is also a sort of fix-it. Hope you like the story. Please comment and tell me what you think.

> **_"This is a story that I have never told I gotta get this off my chest to let it go."_ **

 

There was a tense silence in the Salvatore Boarding house. After they’d dealt with Esther and Finn as well as their crazy -doomed from the start- plan, Damon had suggested to Stefan that they just negotiate some kind of peace with the remaining Originals. There was no point in carrying on the violence when it would inevitably lead to casualties on both sides with no one gaining anything because any wins would be cancelled out by losses. It would become an endless cycle of pain and death on both sides until there was no one left to fight. Clearly, a negotiated peace would be the best for both the Mikaelsons and the Scooby gang (as Damon had taken to calling them). When Damon presented this argument to Elijah -the most reasonable of his siblings- he had immediately agreed and after lots of arguing -mirroring the arguing it had taken Stefan to agree, Damon couldn’t help but remember the failed dinner party- Klaus had agreed, seeing the logic in the decision. After that, convincing Kol and Rebekah had been pretty easy. Stefan had been the one to convince the rest of the Scooby gang because Damon trying would turn it into a disaster (they would never listen to him who they saw as a monster, albeit the lesser of two evils, even with all he had done for them and the town).

Bonnie, despite her hatred of Damon for turning her mother who had consequently left, had quickly agreed that it was a good idea. They had lost too much already. Jeremy agreed with Bonnie and since he hadn’t been too involved personally in the fighting, he didn’t have a problem with the originals. Probably would happily be friends with them, the innocent puppy he was.

Alaric, unlike the others, actually liked Damon so Damon convinced him simply by laying out the logical argument for peace with the originals, he too was tired of fighting and losing people -Jenna for example-to the originals. Also, Klaus was the one most of them had a problem with, not his siblings, however annoying some of them may be (meaning Kol). Caroline who Klaus was trying to woo was just as easy to convince. According to his brother, she agreed immediately after he told her what they wanted to do. The rest of them -Matt, Tyler etc- agreed quickly seeing that everyone else was for Damon’s idea.

Elena turned out to be the hardest to convince because despite all her talk about making peace and trying to be nice to the originals, she didn’t actually want peace when it wasn’t her idea and wouldn’t give her the attention she desires. At the end of the day, Damon could admit Elena was probably the worst doppelganger because Katherine never lied about what and who she was where as Elena tried to deceive everyone into seeing her as a kind, compassionate, innocent girl who would never purposely play two brothers off against each other for her love. He was sick of her games; now he saw her for who she truly was (a manipulative, self-centred bitch). Damon wasn’t going to let any girl get between him and Stefan again; Stefan was welcome to Elena if he wanted her but she truly didn’t deserve his brother. It took Stefan practically begging for Elena to agree to peace with the originals. Damon was surprised she agreed in the first place when all of it started because of her but he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth and was just grateful his brother had talked her into the peace treaty.

That’s how they had ended up in the Boarding house, both sides standing/sitting opposite each other in tense silence. They had already laid out the basic terms of the agreement (no killing on both sides, no maiming, torturing each other etc) but they were having trouble deciding in the finer details such as if they should be putting bans on wacky other entering their residences etc. The boring parts basically. Damon wanted desperately to leave already but as the one who came up with the idea and one of the main players on this stupid war/grudge match or whatever it is, he’s apparently obliged to be present for the entire agreement. He thinks Stefan is just upset he has to get along with Klaus long enough to agree on a treaty so he’s making Damon stay so he suffers too (the bastard).

“OK, how about this. We iron out the finer details along the way if they need to be ironed out. Otherwise, leave each other alone if we can’t get along. Try to play nice and all that rainbows and unicorns stuff. Just for the love of God, finish this. I’m getting bored and tired.” Kol finally exclaimed, obviously as tired of the awkward atmosphere as Damon. As much as Damon hated saying it, he couldn’t help but agree with Kol’s solution. Just because the peace treaty solution was his idea in the first place, doesn’t mean he likes negotiations filled with silence, arguing, shouting and then more silence.

“As much as I hate to admit it, Kol has a point.” Damon gave his two cents and was answered with a smirk from Kol and grudging nods from pretty much everyone else Finally, everyone quickly agreed with Kol and they wrapped up negotiations. Before the Originals left, they quickly went over the details again. At last, it was over and Damon turned his attention to the message he’d missed while he’d been in the middle of arguing with Klaus the definition of maiming and torture and when either was OK (the correct answer was never but they’d put in a few clauses like it may be excused in extreme circumstances like someone being possessed or cursed somehow). He quickly turned serious when he saw who the message was from. Enzo. His best friend wouldn’t message him in the middle of the negotiations Damon had already told him about unless it was for something important. The message it self didn’t help; it was a short and simple: ‘call me asap.’ Damon ignored his brother and Kol -who for some reason had decided to linger even after his siblings left- and instead of trying to find somewhere where there wasn’t vampires who can listen in on his call, decided to just call Enzo immediately. It didn’t matter if his brother and Kol heard because Damon wasn’t wasting time (not even to find privacy for the call). He pressed number one on his speed dial and listed anxiously to the beeps while he waited for Enzo to answer. He didn’t have to wait long but even those three seconds felt like forever.

“What’s wrong.” He didn’t bother with a ‘hello,’ it’s not like Enzo cared about something so trivial as proper greetings. Damon knows his voice probably betrays his worry more than it should and that his blood brother and Kol are probably staring at him right now but he doesn’t care. Doesn’t even care if Kol uses this to tease him later.

“Look mate, I could be wrong but I know you would want to know even if it turns out I’m wrong. I think Augustine is still operating.” Silence... Damon couldn’t speak. His undead heart was beating so quickly it seemed to be trying to escape his chest. Enzo words echo over and over again in his mind. Augustine...still operating...no...no... He and Enzo had burned the Augustine house to the ground. They’d hunted every Whitmore to the ends of the earth. Aaron Whitmore was the last remaining member of that family and he was a teenage boy, no threat. Damon panicked as he realised neither of them had accounted for someone other than the Whitmore family carrying on the terrible, hellish Augustine legacy. No. No. No.

“Damon, calm down. I know you’re panicking but stop. Please, don’t do anything stupid. It’s been fifty years. They aren’t going to come after us now, I swear. I promise I’ll find out whatever I can and then I’ll catch the first bus to Mystic Falls. If they are still operating, I promise that we’ll dismantle their organisation, piece by piece until there really is nothing left. Just don’t do anything stupid. Hang in there. I’m telling you so if I don’t call you in the next few days, you know that something had happened. If you don’t hear from me in three days, please stay safe. I know better than to tell you not to look for me but at least try not to get hurt. Promise me.” Enzo's voice clearly betrayed his worry. 

“I promise Enzo and of course I’ll look for you. You’re my best friend, we escaped hell together, remember. I won’t let you get hurt. I promise I’ll try not to get hurt but please promise the same. Don’t go looking too deep only for them to catch you. Please.” Damon pleaded with his best friend, extremely unhappy that Enzo was risking his own safety searching for information on Augustine. What if they found out what he was doing and captured him again? Damon refuses to lose Enzo -who is his brother in everything but blood- to those monsters. He already came close to losing Enzo in 1958 when they escaped and the fire was spreading but those damn bars were covered in vervain and Damon couldn’t open the cell. If he hadn’t found the key on one of the bodies of the dead Augustine’s, Damon doesn’t know what would have happened and he doesn’t want to.

“I swear I’ll try to be careful and I’ll check in with you as soon as possible. Be careful. I love you.” Damon smiled. He guessed that to anyone else, they would sound like a couple but Enzo was his brother, his best friend so he didn’t even have to think about his reply. Sometimes, he wishes he had remained in Italy with Enzo and had never decided to follow his younger brother to Mystic Falls, wishes he’d never been caught in the trap that was Mystic Falls. Enzo may have agreed to give him five years alone to sort out his issues in Mystic Falls but he knows his best friend hates being separated as much as he does. They are rarely apart and it’s been that way since they escaped Augustine together. But Damon needed to find closure in terms of Katherine and his brother and after that he became stuck in the web of mysteries and horrors that are Mystic Falls. Maybe if the peace agreement works, he can finally leave and go back to spending the rest if his life by Enzo’s side; even if he feels guilty leaving his brother, Stefan doesn’t need him where as he and Enzo need each other. 

“Love you too.” With that reply, Enzo hung up. It was only then, as Damon put the phone down, that he remembered Kol and his brother, both of whom had heard the entire conversation on both sides thanks to vampire hearing. Well shit...


	2. And The Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Truths are revealed and feelings stirred.

> “ _I need to take back the light inside you stole_  
>  _You're a criminal_  
>  _And you steal like you're a pro”_

_When it becomes very obvious that there’s no chance either Kol or Stefan will let the conversation they heard go and forget ever hearing it. Judging by their curious puppy stares -Stefan- and amused mischievous ones -Kol- this topic will stay on their minds for a while. We’ll unlucky for them because he ain’t talking to either vampire about something so personal and sensitive. Why the hell didn’t he just use vampire speed to go off to somewhere more private for his conversation? For God’s sake, any conversation with Enzo is a private on, he knows this. Ah hell, Damon only has one option left other than lying which at this point won’t work._

_He ignores both his brother and the original who are very clearly waiting for an explanation although for Kol it seems more like he’s waiting for blackmail material which is probably the only thing he’d be patient for. Damon turns around and walks upstairs, calling out behind him, “both of you, ignore what you just heard if you know what’s good for you. My private conversations WILL remain private.” This approach probably won’t work but it will buy him time while he thinks of a good lie that means he won’t have to talk about the worst five years of his existence. Everything he has purposely avoided anyone – especially Stefan- finding out about. So either time to run, plan his funeral or pray for a miracle because nothing he can think of will be a convincing enough lie that covers Enzo, Augustine and his own panic and fear both of Augustine and for Enzo._

_Dammit, his own emotions had betrayed him, making sure that no lie would work. Both Stefan and Kol already knew Enzo and Damon were afraid an obviously dangerous organisation called Augustine were still operating. Damon and Enzo’s worry for each other made it clear they were close as well. OK, so lying won’t work, next option is running. Too much work and effort to successfully run to somewhere Stefan can’t track him down. His brother is relentless when he wants to be. Also, running means he isn’t in Mystic Falls where Enzo asked him to stay. That option is clearly out then. Planning his funeral- viable option but Enzo would bring him back to life, kill him again; bring him back to life and wrap him in bubble wrap, making sure he never leaves Enzo’s side. Therefore, dying isn’t an option because it so isn’t worth all the lectures Enzo would give him for the rest of eternity. Also, he’s too selfish to even bother with that option and knowing his luck, he wouldn’t die, Stefan would find out and he’d have two people lecturing him forever along with Stefan and probably Kol finding out the truth anyway. So that’s a dead end. Finally, he could pray for a miracle but if there is some form of higher power out there, they must hate him for all he’s been subjected to throughout his existence. Praying won’t change that; he’s accepted fate hates him. How did he get in this situation in the first place of it wasn’t cause fate’s a bitch who only likes boring people like his brother is half the time._

_That leaves the truth. No other choice but the one he was trying to escape, the one decision he hates and would have liked to avoid if his stupid humanity hadn’t betrayed him. Unfortunately, he can’t even be mad at himself or Enzo; he loves his best friend and could never hate him for something as trivial as inadvertently revealing to Stefan information about the five years he pretends never existed._

_The five years in which the only thing he had was Enzo. When Damon didn’t have his freedom, his old magic, not even Stefan, he did have Enzo. Enzo friendship kept him alive, kept him from giving up entirely. At the end of that five years, when he and Enzo had escaped, there had been a moment when Damon almost lost Enzo. Desperately trying to pull at the bars only to be burned by vervain, he almost turned his humanity off when he couldn’t save his best friend, his brother in all but blood. But instead, looking into those eyes that put all their trust in him, he ignored the vervain and used every last bit of his strength to wrench the cell open and in the end it was Enzo who saved him. Damon lost all strength and Enzo had to carry him out of the burning house._

_Ever since that night, Damon and Enzo vowed to always save each other, never lie to each other and stick together no matter how far apart they were. Never had they broke that promise, not once. Even now that Damon is in Mystic Falls, he called or texted Enzo every time he went into a dangerous situation or was about to die or both. Enzo was understandably worried but unlike Stefan, unlike Elena, Bonnie and the others, Enzo trusted Damon. If either of them died without the other, the other would go to the end of the universe to bring them back. Death wasn’t allowed to take them when they were apart; alone. If they die, they die together at each other’s side (never alone again)._

_Damon told him when he go bit by Tyler Lockwood and was dying, even told him about his attempt to kill himself by taking off his ring, the attempt Stefan stopped. Enzo definitely hadn’t been happy and he had received lectures for ‘trying to abandon’ Enzo ‘in this wretched world’ (“Enzo, you love this wretched world you idiot.”) His best friend had also threatened to make Stefan his new best friend if Damon didn’t find survive the werewolf bite (“not funny you dick, you know about my issues with everyone choosing my brother over me. You’re the only one who’s chosen me over my brother.”)_

_How does Damon explain to Stefan that those five years Stefan was happy, celebrating the fact that Damon left him alone, Damon was actually being tortured, dissected like a an animal and experimented on. How can he tell Stefan that he abandoned Damon when his brother needed him most? He sighs in frustration, this is going to be difficult but best just to get this over with. He grabs a photo of him and Enzo from where it’s tucked into his wallet. It’s one of those cheesy photo strips from the photo booth at the mall. Enzo and him make faces at each other and the camera with one series one where they are simply smiling at the camera. It’s sappy and out of character and at first it had been a joke but they both got copies and now he gets why people get these things, little mementos. It’s gives you hope, reminds you that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel._

_Just before he’s about to get this over and done with, ready to walk downstairs and open up to someone he barely tolerates and his little brother who he’s hidden the truth from for over 50 years, said annoying original steps into his room, smirking. Damon knows Stefan isn’t far behind; he may have more self control than Kol but that isn’t saying much, everyone has more self control than Kol._

_“What was that about? Come on, I swear I won’t even make fun of you or use this as blackmail material if you tell me. I’m curious and not leaving until I find out the truth.” Damon sighs. It’s not being made fun of he’s worried about; not even Kol is that cruel (he hopes). It’s exposing himself, showing his most vulnerable side._

_“Fine. But if this conversation leaves this room, I’m killing both of you.” He threatens just as Stefan turns up, ever predictable. Kol grins like the cat that caught the canary and nods eagerly. His excitement is almost cute (no Damon, bad! The dangerous original is not cute! Stop blushing, dammit!) Kol looks almost as if he’s caught onto Damon’s line of thinking because he smirks at Damon seductively (no! Traitorous thoughts!) Stefan on the other hand, looks like a puppy, his expression a mix of eager curiosity and worry. Damon gives him the photo strip with Kol looking over Stefan’s shoulder to see it._

_“That’s Enzo. My best friend since 1953. Stefan, you never knew about him because of the circumstances which we met under.” Damon explained. Kol looked like he wanted to say something, probably along the lines of ‘You have a friend,’ but apparently decided not to due to the seriousness of the situation. Stefan just nodded._

_“1953. Isn’t that the year I got a telegram from one of our family members in Mystic Falls, inviting me to go there. I remember I never actually went.” Damon nodded to his brother. That was something he had always been thankful for; if Stefan had accepted the invite he would have been subjected to the same hell Damon had been and no matter how much he falls out with Stefan, he would never want his little brother to have to go through that. Kol looked between them curiously, realising there must be more to the invite than Stefan thought._

_“He sent a telegram to both of us but unlike you, I actually went which turned out to be a mistake. He sold me out to an organisation slash secret society called Augustine. A society led and carried on by the Whitmore family.”_

_“That’s the same organisation you were talking to Enzo about. The one you’re afraid of.” Damon nodded. Rightly afraid of them, at that._

_“Augustine like to claim they’re doctors and scientists. Enzo called me because he’s afraid they carried on their tradition after we burned down the Augustine house in 1958.” Damon explained, leaving out the part that he and Enzo were tortured by them for years although he knows it won’t be long till he has to explain that part as well._

_“What tradition?” Stefan asked at exactly the same time Kol asks something else._

_“What happened in the five years between 1953 and 58?” Damon sighs in frustration, well looks like the torture part is coming up sooner than he thought._

_“The grand Augustine tradition of vampire torture. That’s the answer to both questions.” Kol looks at him in sympathy, realising what that means while Stefan looks a little sick although still slightly confused, not having realised Damon’s connection to them despite how obvious the answer is at this point._

_“After our dear nephew sold me out to Augustine in 1953, he injected me with vervain and I woke up weak and restrained on a lab table. Dr Whitmore informed me I’d apparently donated my body to science except I wasn’t dead nor did I do it willingly.” Stefan looked like he was going to throw up and clearly pitied Damon which is exactly what he never wanted. Kol though just put a comforting hand on his shoulder. It was oddly nice despite him and Kol not being close. With the warm reassurance of Kol’s hand on his shoulder as he sat on the Bed, he carried on the story._

_“I met Enzo the next day. He was my cell mate and the only good part of those five years. He had already been there for several years by the time I joined the party and we quickly became best friends. It was hard not to when all we had in that hell was each other. We told each other stories, little facts. Come up with creative methods of revenge. Enzo’s friendship was the only thing that kept me alive and stopped me going insane or giving up during those five years. Especially when I realised that I wasn’t going to be saved.” Damon looks down, this is the part he hates, being vulnerable; exposing his own pain and weakness. Kol’s hand never leaves his shoulder and it seems to be the only thing keeping him together. The original’s face is unusually serious and his out of character silence speaks more than any words could express. It’s strange to see him so put together and calm, a strong comforting presence, so similar to Elijah. His age and experience really shows in that moment whereas before Damon had trouble seeing how he and Elijah were related because despite their similar appearance and ruthlessness, at first they seem nothing alike._

_“Damon, I’m so sorry. I can’t believe that while I spent that time happy that you weren’t bothering me, you were being tortured. Why did you never tell me?” Stefan’s practically pleading for an answer and guilt drips from his voice._

_“We were on the outs back then, it wasn’t your fault. I knew you would feel guilty if I told you afterwards and I didn’t want to give you yet another thing to feel guilty about. Plus, Lexi didn’t exactly let me near you if I tried to talk to you privately, she claimed I was a bad influence.” Damon informed him, trying to remain as calm as possible and him his voice from wavering and betraying his pain and sense of betrayal; he didn’t want his little brother to feel any more guilty but it still hurt that Stefan never realised something was wrong with him and that he listened to that bitch Lexi over his own brother._

_“You should still have told me. Oh God, I locked in a cell when you first arrived in Mystic Falls and again when you tried to kill yourself after Tyler Lockwood bit you. No wonder you were so angry with me.” Damon sighed and moved away from Kol (unfortunately) to hug his little brother and reassure him that Damon didn’t blame him. Stefan hadn’t known and the second time it had been fir his own safety which even Enzo - who didn’t really like Stefan after hearing about the way he treated Damon like a monster, a burden- appreciated._

_Kol stood awkwardly by himself, obviously not used to such clear displays of affection. From what Damon had seen, he seemed to be the outsider in the family (not including Esther, Mikael and Finn) and Elijah, Rebekah and Klaus made a trio all on their own that excluded Kol so he must not be around affectionate displays very often. Damon was sympathetic towards that, understanding what it feels like to be excluded and treated like a burden, a ticking time bomb, by family; by a sibling. After all, that’s exactly what Stefan had done for most of the years they’d been vampires, often encouraged by his vest friend Lexi of course. Maybe the original wasn’t so bad after all; maybe Damon could genuinely get along with him, become friends (or more, not that he wanted to think about that)._

_That’s how the rest of the day went, bonding. Kol turned out to be pretty cool and not as much of an irritating asshole as he made himself out to be. He, Damon and Stefan bonded over small things, each learning things about the others that they hadn’t known before. Even Stefan and Damon, despite being brothers, learned a lot about each other (Damon hadn’t known that Stefan used to have a crush on Klaus when they knew each other in 1920 – that was so being used as blackmail material). Kol, they learned, had been the only one of the original siblings who had magic when they were human, or more accurately, the only one who learned and used it. Damon suspected the rest must of had the capability just not the motivation to use it._

_The new knowledge gave Damon the idea to tell Kol about old magic since Kol had confided in them how he missed practicing magic and had searched for years to try and get it back but failed. Damon planned to tell him about old magic and see if Kol wanted to learn it from him. It might be nice to get to teach it to someone and share that with someone else since his old magic had been a tightly kept secret that only his brother and Enzo knew. His excitement in no way had anything to do with Kol being really hot and surprisingly charming. Nope. No way..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally finished the second chapter and to try and make up for the long wait between updates I’m trying to make the chapters as long as possible. Also, since the pairings tagged are only initial after thoughts and unlike the Kol/Damon Pairing, most pairings aren’t set. So I’d be happy to take suggestions for pairings or if you prefer to keep those tagged, please tell me. I’m going to start bringing in other characters and pairings in the next chapter since I know so far this has been very Damon centric and although this story focuses on him, I want to include other storylines and pairings as well so I’d love some feedback on what you want those to be.


	3. I wear like a battle wound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> History of old magic, more background into Damon and the story as well as Kol's childhood and the originals when they were human. Damon and Kol's relationship is slowly developing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it's been over a month since I last updated but this chapter is extra long to make up for it. I'm still waiting to hear opinions on the pairings although one change I definitely want to make in terms of relationships is have Enzo/Elijah as a pairing later on and the idea for that came while I was writing this chapter. But I'd still love to hear opinions on pairings and thoughts on the characters themselves, if there's any elements you'd like to add. As long as I don't have to write Elena as a great person, I'm up for pretty much anything that doesn't move the story away from the main plot too much. So yeah, comment and let me know what you think.

> _“I've got shame, I've got scars_   
>  _That I will never show_   
>  _I'm a survivor_   
>  _In more ways than you know.”_

_Kol stares at the beautiful man before him. Damon’s blue eyes seem to glow like glistening ice and winter skies as he demonstrates a bit of old magic; a simple trick to create fog. Damon seemed to come alive when he used old magic; Kol had never seen him smile so brightly before and it warmed Kol’s heart to see him so happy. Apparently, creating fog and mist was a trick Damon used often or at least used to use frequently when he wanted to feed on humans which he doesn’t do any more. Kol thinks it probably has something to do with Stefan’s puppy dog eyes and eternally disappointed frown. Though the vampire won’t admit it, it’s clear to Kol that Damon hates disappointing his little brother just as Kol used to hate disappointing Henrik when they were human and his younger brother was still alive. Henrik had been so innocent just as Stefan is in a way due to Stefan’s naivety and inexperience with vampirism and controlling his bloodlust which prevents him learning to control it like Damon has._

_Kol’s own lack of control over his bloodlust is why Nik had to dagger him (Kol’s feeding habits were attracting a lot of attention which allowed Mikael to find them) and therefore one of the first things he did once he woke up was ask Elijah for help in learning to control his hunger. His older brother had been happy to help, pleasantly surprised by Kol’s request as he’d always refused to acknowledge that he had a problem. It turned out to be a lot easier than he thought as there was a lot more to do with all the different forms of entertainment and activities invented since he was daggered. TV, mobile phones, better sports and a much more open and accepting society which meant he had a lot more options. One he especially liked was the wide variety of people to sleep with now that you didn’t need to sneak around if you liked both genders and threesomes etc were more common. This new century had been good for him and his newfound friendship (although he wants it to be more) with Damon helped a lot. Part of the reason he had struggled with control was the loss of his magic._

_Damon telling him about old magic was a miracle and even more of a godsend was his offer to teach Kol old magic as well as the history and theoretical knowledge of old magic which some may find boring but Kol had studied magic from Anya Bennett since he was a child, caught trying to teach himself from one of his mother’s books and she made him promise total dedication to learning from her. Even after he turned and lost his magic, he carried on studying magic and every different form of it, finally having the time to travel around the world to study it from different witches, warlocks and covens. Kol had thought he’d learnt pretty much everything there was about magic, even if he nor anyone knew much about it’s history, and had began teaching it to you don’t witches._

_However, Damon had proved him wrong and he’d never been happier about that because the older Salvatore turned out to be just as dedicated to magic as he was. Damon also knew pretty much everything there was to know about the history of old magic and magic overall as well as having a vast knowledge of the ability of old magic and anything else there was to know about it. Teaching seemed to come naturally to him; Kol suspected that might be because Damon had practically raised Stefan although he’d never said as much. However, it was evident in his protectiveness of Stefan and the way Stefan always looks to his older brother for answers without realising that’s what he’s doing._

_Slowly, Kol had began to notice how every time there was even the smallest problem in the town such as a rogue vampire bringing the attention to vampires, the first thing Stefan did was look to Damon. It mirrored how he and his siblings, even Klaus, often looked to Elijah for support and answers because their parents had played a minor part in raising them and Finn was mother’s little angel who ignored his younger siblings completely so it fell on Elijah -the second oldest- to raise them._

_Though they rarely said it, all the originals agreed that he’d done a great job and was a fantastic older brother; the one Finn had never been to Elijah. For as long as Kol could remember, Elijah let them sneak into his room and sleep in his bed if they were scared at night or upset or had a bad day and needed comfort. He played games with them; made sure their birthdays never went forgotten. Finn however, Kol couldn’t remember to have ever even played with them once or simply show affection such as a hug and he knows Elijah had it even worse. The rest of them had Elijah to take on the role that their parents and Finn failed but Elijah had pretty much raised himself with mother playing a part -at least until he could walk, talk and dress himself- since father and Finn mourned the loss of their oldest sister who they never knew; lost to sickness._

_Kol suspected that Finn blamed Elijah; hating him for surviving while Freya died and while Mikael never blamed them, he became cold and angry after the loss of the daughter he had loved more than anyone; Freya had taken his heart and ability to love with her when she died. He’d always wondered if things would have been different if Freya survived; if Mikael would have been a good father, if Finn would have been a great a brother as Elijah, if Elijah would have been more fun, carefree, relaxed and less like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders._

_Unfortunately, Kol would never know what life would have been like if his older sister survived and that was OK with him because that was one of the events that lead him to meet Damon; he was slowly falling in love with the vampire and didn’t know if he could have been happy and found love in a life where he never met the oldest Salvatore. Damon was everything he had always wished for; he may have teased Bekah for constantly falling in love with men but that was because she was his sister and those men didn’t deserve her love (maybe Marcel but he was still pissed Klaus’s adopted son had helped dagger him). Truth was, since the day Klaus, Rebekah and Elijah had made that pact which excluded him, he’d desired someone who would be willing to spend forever and always with him; who’d see him as more than the troublesome young original. Someone was Damon who’d somehow trusted him with his biggest secret and who’d kindly offered him a way to do magic again. For all this and more, Kol would always be thankful to the vampire in front of him._

_“Old magic is different to what common magic which is actually called life magic as essentially what witches do is channel life even though it comes in different forms such as channelling nature, spirits (who are still a form of life even if they are dead) and blood. Channelling is easier than old magic because it takes less energy -less magic- to use the life energy of other things to fuel a witches own magic. The differences in power are due to the fact that the amount of magic witches naturally have. The more natural magic they have, the more energy they are able to channel but their natural magic is diluted by the life energy so it is less powerful, less pure, than old magic and so when they are turned into vampires, witches can’t use magic because they have no connection to life and therefore can’t channel it. Certain, powerful spirits can practice magic because death is a form of life in terms of magic, just harder to channel. However, vampires exist outside life and death so life magic is useless.” Damon explains and Kol nods, smiling at the other._

_It makes sense to Kol that witches are connected to nature because they’re channelling and they can only do that because they’re alive. He never understood the explanation for witches losing their magic once they became vampires. The whole balance of nature crap makes no sense because of some of the darker forms of magic which exist outside this balance and due to the stories of Silas who’s an immortal witch but essentially still a vampire so how did he have magic if it’s against the balance of nature._

_“How does old magic work then?” He asks Damon, curious how it is possible for vampires to do magic and why he’d never heard of this type of magic before even though he spent centuries studying magic all around the world. Not once was there a mention of old magic or even vampires who could do magic. Surely people would notice if a vampire was doing magic if it was thought to be impossible._

_“Old magic is almost exactly what it sounds like; it’s ancient. The first form of magic, something most have forgotten and even those who have heard of it usually think it’s a myth since it goes against everything they’ve been taught about magic and because the existence of old magic makes their magic, their spells weak, lesser.” Kol nods in understanding. Witches are often arrogant; they like to believe themselves above vampires, werewolves and humans because they’ve been given a gift by nature. Most witches would renounce claims that their gifts are inferior to a different form of magic and what they’re doing is essentially stealing energy to give themselves power because that’s essentially what channelling is: stealing._

_“Old magic is purer than what is commonly practiced because it isn’t diluted by life energy and therefore much more powerful. It’s like comparing whiskey -which is more alcoholic- and cocktails which taste nicer but have less effect. Both are classified as alcohol but one is more powerful, purer, less pretentious. Old magic used to be the only type of magic and as was passed down from witch to witch, people forgot the origins of magic and started channelling nature, believing they were connecting with the earth itself, the thing that gave them magic. A few more generations passed and life magic became more common. With various religions emerging, more forms of life magic were born such as channelling spirits of their ancestors and blood magic; old magic began to be forgotten. Eventually, less and less practiced it because life magic was more common and easier. A thousand years ago, when you were born, old magic was pretty much gone with only a few individuals still practicing it.” Kol wished he’d known those individuals because it would have saved him a lot of grief, pain, anger and daggers to the back for recklessness._

_“So how do you know about it? If it’s been forgotten, how did you find out about it, let alone how to use it?” He isn’t being arrogant but he lived and explored for centuries without finding out about old magic so how did Damon in the 150 years he’s been a vampire, less even with the way he’s so familiar with it that he must have studied and practiced it for at least a decade._

_“Because, although rare, some are born practicing it just like some are born practicing life magic. I was one of those rare cases.” That makes sense. Damon tends to be a rare case overall. Kol’s never known someone so uniquely suited to vampirism (which he admires so much, it’s one of the things that draws him to Damon)._

_“If you had old magic when you were human, why did Stefan never know, or Katherine? Surely in a town like Mystic Falls it would have been impossible to hide it, especially if you were born with it?” If vampires were discovered so quickly in Mystic Falls, magic definitely wouldn’t be easy to hide; even Emily Bennett discovered to be a witch eventually and hideously killed at the same place her ancestors were burned before._

_“I got lucky mostly. Before Stefan was born, my mother noticed my accidental magic; just small things such as the air around me being colder usually and the windows frosting over with strange patterns. It wasn’t too noticeable, especially in winter. My mother’s family had actually been witches so she thought that was why I was doing magic but they practiced life magic and my mother was born without it so that wasn’t where I inherited it but the assumption allowed my mother to hide those small things from my father, passing them off as coincidences. She started to teach me to control it since in terms of control, it doesn’t really matter what kind of magic you have. By the time Stefan was born, I had pretty good control which was fortunate because my mother was too busy looking after him to teach me and pretty weak, not being able to get out of bed. She never taught me any actual spells which wouldn’t have worked with my old magic. I never told Stefan about my magic because it wasn’t safe for either of us with all the witch hunts. As part of one of the founding families as well as a former soldier, no one even suspected me of having magic.” The vampire grins at Kol, happy to talk about the best part of his human life. The part that wasn’t war, blood, manipulation and abuse by his father (Kol wasn’t an idiot, he knew the signs, the darkening of his eyes at the mention of his father and the way he was so protective of Stefan all screamed abused)._

_“How exactly do you have magic? No one in your family had it, so how do you? Magic is always inherited but the Salvatore line isn’t magical and you’ve just said your mother’s line had the wrong kind which your mother didn’t even inherit.” Kol knows the importance of that. If someone doesn’t inherit magic, they are unlikely to carry the gene so a child can’t usually inherit magic from a non magical parent who’s family does have magic._

_“Because the Salvatore line does have magic; particularly old magic, the most powerful old magic to exist for over 2000 years. Ever hear of a blood lock?” Damon smirks; unlike Kol he clearly knows where this is going but Kol is still waiting for all of it to slot itself together so he can see the entire picture._

_“Of course. A curse that locks away the magic of an entire bloodline but why was there a blood lock on your family in the first place and how were you born with old magic with the blood lock still in place as it must be if no one else in your family has magic of any kind?” Well, that he knows of anyway but he’s pretty sure he’d know if a member of one of the founding families of Mystic Falls had magic; it would have been clear in the history of the town that he got from Elijah who was nothing if not thorough (he only read up about the towns history to impress Damon, not that he’d ever tell anyone that)._

_“The answer of both questions starts 2000 years ago when old magic was still pretty common and life magic was less tainted and nearly as powerful as old magic because it still used aspects of old magic. I’m sure you’ve heart of the first Immortal, Silas.” Kol nods. Of course he’s head the terrifying tales of horror that foretold Silas would one day rise. Kol feared the day those prophecies came true -as they surely would- because he’d heard about the great power Silas could wield and the destruction and death he’d bring._

_“The stories about him aren’t fully correct. I’ve read a first hand account of what truly happened. Silas had old magic just as his ancestors before him. He was kind, loving and nothing like he’s said to be. His was engaged to be married to a life witch called Qetsiyah since they were the two most powerful people in their community. However, while Qetsiyah was in love with Silas, he was secretly in love with Qetsiyah’s handmaiden, Amara, and he wanted to be with her forever. So he asked Qetsiyah for a elixir that would give two people immortality, implying the second was for her. He then left Qetsiyah at the altar, giving the immortality meant for Qetsiyah to Asmara. When Qetsiyah found out, she created a cure for immortality, found Amara, gave her the cure and then killed her. She then gave Silas a second chance to take the cure and give up his immortality so they could live long human lives together. Qetsiyah then created a supernatural limbo to trap his soul to act as a supernatural barrier between Silas and the afterlife Amara. That’s how the other side was created. Finally, Qetsiyah trapped Silas in a tomb with the cure, with two choices to either take the cure and pass to the Other Side or rot in a tomb. Silas refused to give Qetsiyah the satisfaction of passing to the Other Side and rots in a tomb as we speak although many believe he will escape one day.”_

_“That’s a nice story but how does it apply to any of the questions I asked?” Kol asks, slightly irritated and not a little impatient for the moral of this ancient story._

_“Because while that was the end of the story for Silas, for others it was the beginning of another story. Firstly, Qetsiyah was a distant ancestor of the Bennetts which is why the Bennett line is so powerful; they even have a potential for old magic if turned into vampires although it would need to be taught. Secondly, Silas had a brother who went on to have a child but Qetsiyah -out of spite- placed a blood lock on the child who was mine and Stefan’s ancestor. Were distantly related to Silas which is why my old magic is so powerful. As for the blood lock, I’m not fully sure but I have a theory. My mother was friends with Julia Bennett, Emily Bennett’s mother and she helped my mother with my birth. I suspect Julia used magic to help my mother while she was giving birth to me and because it was Julia’s ancestor who placed the blood lock out of spite, her purely positive magic dissolved the blood lock on me specifically. Julia had to leave not long after so it makes sense that Stefan and the rest of my bloodline never had the blood lock removed. The only reason it worked for me was because the blood lock was removed literally as I was born. It’s easier to remove curses the younger the person it’s on.” Kol was completely shell shocked by the end of the story. Damon and Stefan were descendants of Silas and Bonnie’s descended from the witch who trapped Silas, he almost expects Elena to be Amara’s descendant. It seems impossible that two bloodlines would still be so closely entwined after 2000 years. The only part that doesn’t surprise him is Damon being so powerful because it’s been clear to Kol from the start. The older Salvatore has only showed him a small amount of old magic but it’s obvious he’s holding back, trying to control an enormous force._


	4. So Ashamed, So Confused

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magic, chemistry and bad news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm really sorry for taking so long to update. Exams and a lot of other things have stressed me out but luckily I'm slightly better now and have a bit less to deal with nw that exams are over so I've spent the entire month writing this new chapter. Sorry if it's a bit short but I feel like I managed to get a lot into this chapter. Still waiting for comments and ideas on pairings other than the main one so please tell me what you think. The next chapter will probably be from the perspective of one of the other originals, probably Elijah (because he's my favourite original with Kol being a close second) and it will likely be completely apart from the main plot, at least to begin with and I should hopefully have finished and be ready to post that within a month. Thank you so much for everyone who's left kudos and/or comments on this story and the continued support and I really hope that you enjoy this chapter :)

> _**“Now I'm a warrior** _
> 
> _**Now I've got thicker skin** _
> 
> _**I'm a warrior** _
> 
> _**I'm stronger than I've ever been.”** _

 

_“No chanting and no words needed. Just focus on the power inside you. I know it sounds cliché but you need to feel the magic inside you, familiarise yourself with it and mould it into what you want. Release it into as a spell such as lighting a fire over the fireplace over there. Everyone’s magic is different and for old magic, individuals usually have an affinity for a certain element such as fire, water, earth, ice, air, electricity or mind. There are other, more minor elements as well but I’m pretty sure they aren’t relevant to you.” Damon explains. He and Kol are sat cross legged on the floor in front of the fireplace in the Salvatore’s living Room. Damon was beginning to teach him the basics of old magic._

 

_To anyone walking in they probably looked strange sitting weirdly on the floor as if they’re meditating but the position, as Damon had learned when he first started out, helped to relax you and let you focus without distractions (which is great because Damon and Kol are both extremely distracted by each other, not that they’d admit to it though)._

 

_“How can you know and what element do you think I have an affinity for?“ Kol asks curiously. If this was any other topic such as history or something, he honestly wouldn’t care but magic was his passion and anything to do with magic excites him, particularly rare knowledge such as what Damon’s teaching him._

 

_“One particular gift everyone with old magic have is sensing power, particularly the old magic of other people and objects infused with old magic for one reason or another. Since you’re new to this, most wouldn’t be able to sense you’re old magic or affinity but considering my power, I can vaguely sense your potential old magic and it feels more like fire than anything else so I’m guessing fire is your element. So try to focus on the fireplace over there and think of fire and any feelings you associate with it. Not just heat but emotions. For example, my affinity is ice so the feelings I associate with it are cold and calm. Fire is associated with a lot of emotions but it’s best if you choose just one that you think of when you see fire. It could be passion, anger, pain, love, whatever you want as long as it feels right to you.“ Kol nods at the explanation and attempts to do as Damon says._

 

_The original faces the fireplace and envisions fire, the warm colours and beautiful patters the flames make. He feels a connection to element as he pictures it and knows Damon is right about him having an affinity for fire. The logs in fireplace still don’t light though so Kol focuses on the feeling of warmth and love he associates with fire and it feels right. He focuses on the joyful memories of bonfires with his family; rare times when they were together and all that mattered was the love they felt for each other. With these thoughts, a beautiful ember forms over the logs in the fireplace, gradually becoming a flame, then several and finally a powerful fire fills the Salvatore’s fireplace, emanating heat. Kol grins proudly, eyes meeting Damon’s who grins back, equally proud of the brunette. For a moment, as their eyes met in passion and pure happiness, they couldn’t look away from each other and the air was thick with tension. To an outsider it would look as if they’re about to kiss. In perfect unison they think ‘he looks gorgeous,’ ‘I want to kiss him.’ Then only a second later, the thought leaves and Damon looks down almost shyly (although the raven haired man would kill anyone who ever described anything he did as shy). Kol glanced to the side, thinking there’s no way Damon would like him; unaware that Damon’s thoughts mirror his near perfectly._

 

_“Can you show me something with your own affinity?” Kol asks in an attempt to turn the conversation back to old magic and away from the present awkwardness. Damon nods, blushing slightly and Kol doesn’t want to admit how beautiful that is and how much he enjoys seeing the younger vampire letting his guard down with him. Damon focuses on the air and the calm feeling he associates with water and ice as well as the cold feeling his affinity has. He vividly pictures childhood afternoons playing in the snow with Stefan and the beautiful ice crystals that would form on the windows. Then he focuses on the air and cooling it down. A cold fog slowly rises from the bottom of the floor and continues to rise until it reaches the ceiling. Damon concentrates on making it surround him and Kol but still keeping the fog away from them enough that they can see each other. Kol looks around silently in awe, not needing to be told how difficult it is to turn an elements such as water and ice and focus it into something like fog. The oldest Salvatore decides to impress the original even more by growing a rose out of ice from his hand and willing his magic towards it and around it in order to add one very special spell to it. He knows that if Kol doesn’t have a clue about his affection already, he will thanks to this particular gift since a rose isn’t exactly subtle but surprisingly Damon is good with that._

 

_“Even though it’s made out of ice, it won’t melt and it shouldn’t feel too cold thanks to my magic.” He hands the rose to Kol who admires the gift in shock at how realistic and gorgeous the ice rose is with every detail you’d find on a real rose except the colour obviously as well as the fact it’s made out of sparkling blue toned ice which gives off a slight cold feeling which rather than being off putting, actually adds to what makes it spectacular._

 

_“Thank you...wow...this is extraordinary...I can’t believe how amazing your magic is...” Kol struggles to find the perfect words to express his awe and admiration. Damon blushes even more at the compliments and internally curses himself for his out of character shyness in the face of Kol’s kindness. The last time he had acted like this, shy and awkward, was when he was human and in love with Katherine but even then it hadn’t been this bad. The effect Kol has on him after such a short amount of time of being on good terms both terrifies and excites him simultaneously. Normally he’d hate being this vulnerable, however with Kol he feels safe as if he could let down all his walls and hand his heart to the original without any doubt. That’s what petrified him: how much he trusts Kol. After All, he once trusted Katherine and look how that turned out. She threw away his heart as if it was a completely worthless piece of trash; all she truly wanted was Stefan just like Elena and pretty much every other person who’d met his brother, even bloody Klaus, the evil hybrid himself. What is it about his brother that makes everyone fall head over heels in love with Stefan the moment they meet him? Damon doesn’t know but he’s glad Kol manages to constantly defy his expectations and past experiences, clearly preferring Damon to his younger brother._

 

_Kol himself is stunned by Damon’s shyness at his words, finding it extremely cute and the desire to kiss the younger vampire becoming increasingly strong as the seconds passed with neither man saying anything. The air between then is thick and heavy with tension, holding the weight of several unspoken emotions. Both Damon and Kol attempt to find words to cut the invisible rope they’ve tied around themselves Luckily for them, Damon’s phone chooses this moment to start blaring. Damon picked up his phone, looking at the screen to see Enzo on the caller ID and pressing accept since it didn’t matter anymore if Kol overhears when the original already knows that particular story, even if it wasn’t given as freely as Damon would have liked to give it when he was ready to and not when his brother and at the time someone who he didn’t really get along with, overheard a phone conversation and forced the rest out of him (not that he was still bitter or annoyed about that at all)._

 

_“Hey, finally. I was close to begging Judgy to help me look for you.” Kol snorted at Damon’s words. That was a complete understatement. He’d seen Damon pacing regularly when Kol saw him and he had a sneaking suspicion that Damon was immersing himself so fully in training in order to distract himself from worrying about his best friend too much. That also seemed to be failing because Damon had looked close to not just begging Bonnie for help that same morning but moreover to scouring every inch of the Earth himself so he could find Enzo and see if he’s alright._

 

_“Yeah, I know what you’re like so I’m sure that’s an understatement. But I’m OK, not dead, not in a cell or injured in any way, I swear. So stop worrying.” Damon visibly breathes a sigh of relief at Enzo’s reassuring words. Kol smiles, glad that the older Salvatore is relaxing a bit and doing better than he was before._

 

_“However, there is also some bad news and honestly, there’s no good way to say this so I’m just going to have to put it bluntly. Mate, Augustine still exist and are very much active. In fact, their main secret base seems to be at Whitmore college near Mystic Falls.” Damon takes a moment to process the information. He feels the comforting warmth of Kol’s hand on his shoulder, reassuring him the original is there for him. Even then, the words just keep circling his head at a nauseating pace. Enzo didn’t just rip off the band-aid with this; he tore it off so hard he pulled skin with it. Not that it’s his best friend’s fault he has to be the bearer of bad news and in the long run he appreciates the honesty and chance to stop them but in the short term he’s about to pass out from the rush of worry, anger, pain, confusion and fear that threatens to overwhelm him._

 

_“Damon, are still there? Please say something...” Damon tries to speak but words completely fail him and the only thing that comes out of his mouth is air. He shakes his head, realising it’s hopeless when Enzo can’t see him over the phone. Kol catches his eye and silently asks if the younger vampire wants him to take over the conversation because Damon clearly isn’t OK and it’s worrying the original and Enzo both. Damon just gives a small nod, letting Kol take his phone from his shaking hand. Kol gently leads Damon to sit down on the couch and once he’s sure Damon isn’t going to pass out, he brings the phone to his ear, not bothering to put it on speaker when he knows Damon can hear both sides of the conversation just fine._

 

_“This is Kol, Damon’s in shock and I don’t think he can speak right now.” Kol assumes Enzo knows who he is since Damon mentioned that he has regular conversations with his best friend, updating him constantly as to what’s going on in Mystic Falls including the peace treaty so hopefully Enzo isn’t too surprised by his presence with Damon. He doubts Damon’s past statements about him are good and he probably deserves everything Damon said about him, he knows he can be impulsive and his first encounter with Damon snapping his neck really infuriated him but he’s had time to calm down and realise that he and Damon actually are great as friends and would be spectacular as even more._

 

_“Tell him he needs to calm down, everything’s going to be fine and I’m on my way to Mystic Falls. I’ll be there soon but please make sure he’s OK and he doesn’t do anything stupid before I get there.” Enzo definitely doesn’t care who’s with Damon and is just relieved someone’s there to take care of his best friend when he’s not there. Enzo quickly agrees, promising that he’ll look after Damon even after Enzo gets there before hanging up and placing the phone down. Looking at the older Salvatore he realises Damon is in too much shock to have even heard the conversation._

 

_“Damon, Enzo’s on his way to Mystic Falls and he wanted me to tell you to calm down because everything’s going to be fine. Please, just breath.” Damon relaxes slightly after hearing that Enzo’s on his way but still struggles with all the emotions that are spinning out of control inside him and Kol’s voice is barely audible to his ears. Everything is just fuzzy and distant. Suddenly, everything stops and clears as he feels Kol’s lips on his own with one hand on the back of Damon’s neck and the other at his waist. All the worry, the fear, the confusion and pain, it all goes away. It’s replaced by the fire and warmth that is Kol._

 

_Kol doesn’t know what to do; he’s panicking because Damon still isn’t breathing properly and he won’t move or speak so the original does the only thing he can think of and that’s kiss him. Gently, he presses his lips to Damon’s as if the younger vampire could break at any moment. Kol does what comes naturally and takes control of the kiss, feeling Damon gradually relax in his arms, letting his heart take over._


	5. I was broken and bruised

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elijah's account of the events since the peace treaty and his own romantic history.

> _“And my armor, is made of steel, you can't get in_   
>  _I'm a warrior_   
>  _And you can never hurt me again."_

_Elijah follows Klaus out of the Salvatore Boarding house after negotiations for the peace treaty, still confused as to why Kol chose to stay behind along with Damon and Stefan while everyone else including Elena, Bonnie and their lot chose to leave. He knows his brother and unlike Klaus and Rebekah, his first instinct isn’t to think badly of Kol. So seeing him stay behind, shaking his head slightly at Elijah to indicate that he isn’t going with him and Klaus back to their place, doesn’t make him jump to the conclusion that his little brother is up to no good or that he’s planning something that will shatter the newfound peace treaty. Rather, he thinks back to Kol’s happy willingness to create a peace between their family and the Salvatores as well as Elena and the rest of them. Kol was all too happy to entertain the idea when Damon first came to the Mikaelson Mansion to discuss it with them, informing them that everyone including his brother had agreed to it and it was just up to his family to agree which they did. None of them, including Klaus and Rebekah (although her reasons seemed to more selfish) wanted the constant fighting, arguing and attempts to kill each other so peace sounded almost too good to be true._

_It didn’t surprise the oldest original that it had all been Damon’s idea; he was the oldest of all of them other than the originals and had much more experience. Even Stefan lacked understanding and experience because of his constant attempts to pretend he’s human and something other than a vampire, something that needs blood to survive. Damon, despite having initially refused to feed and complete the transition, embraced rather than rejected his vampirism and therefore became a lot more knowledge and mature than the younger Salvatore could ever be. Also, as an older brother, Damon understands the need to protect his younger sibling and the best way to do that was through a peace treaty. Elijah himself was grateful for all that the younger vampire did to convince everyone of its importance and to get them all to agree to it; not even Elijah could have ever hoped to convince everyone involved to agree to something like that but Damon unknowingly had a calm, kind air to him that not even Elijah who appeared too cold to seem kind could resist being drawn to._

_He suspects that’s why Klaus never took Damon as a substitute for Stefan when he forced Stefan to stay by his side as the ripper. Not even Klaus wanted to force Damon to do some of the cruel acts that ripper Stefan was perfectly capable of because although Damon had done some cruel, maybe even monstrous things, it had all been for his brother or his friends and the people he loved. Speaking as someone who had done some terrible things for family; for love, Elijah knows how it can keep you awake at night (how the guilt and shame can crawl into your soul and Bury themselves there like a dark presence, forever haunting you). Maybe that’s why Elijah likes the oldest Salvatore so much, because he sees something of himself in Damon and maybe it’s also because he sees parts of Klaus in him. In how Damon clearly feels alone and acts out of passion, anger but ultimately love and loneliness. He also sees that Damon clearly didn’t get along with his father who preferred Stefan in the way he understands Klaus hate toward Mikael and the way he’s obviously not used to an older, parental figure in his life while Stefan Is, having had a father and older brother to raise and care for him. Stefan still relies on said older brother without always realising it while Damon is independent and doesn’t take orders, more used to being the one people look to for direction than to taking direction. The small reflections of his brother are probably why Elijah is constantly saving him and trying to teach him. A part of him feels he failed Klaus as an older brother by letting him spiral so far out of control and into the depths of anger, pain and loneliness. Elijah should have been able to catch him before he fell, to comfort and calm him but he couldn’t. However, Elijah realised that Damon doesn’t need to be brought back from the edge because he clearly does that by himself or maybe he has someone to help him (not Stefan though- Elijah sees how the younger brother sadly doesn’t appreciate his brother as much as he should and is slightly oblivious and naive to Damon’s pain)._

_Damon brought them all together and created something amazing. However, one thing Elijah still doesn’t understand is his youngest brothers willingness (even eagerness) for the peace treaty. Kol may not thrive on chaos and mischief as much as the rest of his family seem to think but he does tend to hold a grudge and it surprises Elijah how quickly he let go of that grudge. Kol’s willingness to let go of the past gives the older Mikaelson hope for the rest of them and for the peace treaty as a whole. He knows that while he himself has done some horrendous things in the name of family in this town and the Salvatores and the rest of them have plotted to kill his family along with Esther but he’s willing to forgive and forget and hopefully everyone else is as well. The consensus for peace at least means they’re willing to try._

_Over the next few days he wonders why Kol stayed behind that day with the Salvatores; his little brother isn’t willing to tell him why but Elijah assumes something important happened between him and Stefan as well as Damon because Kol carries on spending time with the older Salvatore in particular. He’s overjoyed to see Kol beginning to look happier each day and finally taking an interest in something. Kol won’t say what he’s doing with Damon, just that he’ll tell Elijah eventually once he’s made progress on whatever they’re doing but he’s glad it makes his little brother happy and brings back the Kol he knew before they turned, back when Kol still had magic and Henrik was alive._

_Guessing (correctly) that Kol’s knew determination to learn to control his bloodlust is also down to the oldest Salvatore, Elijah sends a grateful text to Damon, thanking him for whatever he’s doing for Kol. The only reply he receives is a short no problem and it’s Damon who’s thankful for what Kol’s done for him. The answer confuses him but he assumes this is also about whatever Kol stayed behind after the meeting for and brushes it off since he doubts Damon’s any more willing to talk about it than Kol and it would be impolite to pry. The original is overjoyed that it’s him that Kol goes to for help with the bloodlust and his control in general. Not a single one of his brothers have honestly needed him for centuries (not even Klaus though the hybrid may protest to that) and it’s nice to be needed, particularly by his siblings._

_He doesn’t teach Kol the same way he learned control; he knows that his little brother won’t learn using the same method that worked for him. Instead, he teaches Kol by letting him feed on Elijah himself. It may not be the same as feeding on a human but unlike his siblings, he remember Kol’s magic and how it was fed by passion. His brother therefore won’t learn control through calm and lack of emotion but rather the opposite which is what Klaus failed to realise all those years ago when he attempted to teach their brother control, tired of his messy habits exposing them to people and leading Mikael to them. For vampires, allowing another vampire to feed on them is a powerful act of trust and love, even between siblings. The passion in the act is what will help Kol and remind him each time he feeds how important it is to control the bloodlust because the life of the one who he feeds on is in his hands. Elijah quickly finds he’s right in thinking this as Kol’s control of his bloodlust improves extraordinarily quickly although he knows part of that is also down to his brothers determination to learn, something he didn’t have before when Klaus was attempting to teach him. The meaning behind the act isn’t lost on Kol either; his little brother knows the trust it takes on Elijah’s part and he voices his appreciation each time Elijah allows Kol to feed on him. It’s the first time in a while that his siblings or anyone has truly thanked him and acknowledged everything he does for them. The last person who did that was probably Damon after he undaggered Elijah, during their talk. Damon hadn’t demanded he help them against Klaus or he do anything in return for Damon undaggering him. Rather, Damon had bizarrely denied Elijah owe him anything and told the original that he’d undaggered him as a thank you for Elijah constantly saving his life and he wasn’t going to ask Elijah to hurt his own brother if he didn’t want to. Elijah’s decision to take revenge on Klaus along with his siblings was entirely his own. All Damon did was help him reunite his family and now bring Mystic Falls peace. He’s never going to underestimate the oldest Salvatore ever again after seeing everything he’s accomplished._

_Walking around Mystic Falls becomes easier thanks to the treaty; there’s no longer someone watching him suspiciously everytime he sees one of Elena’s friends. Without their group constantly attempting to kill his family their lives become a lot easier. He hears that Elena’s brother has gone back to Denver, this time willingly for enjoyment and space from his sister and guardian rather than being compelled to leave for his own protection. Coincidentally, his sister also leaves Mystic Falls at the same time for nearly exactly the same reason, to have fun and space from her siblings. He wants to believe that’s the only reason and see the best in his sister but he isn’t that naive. Kol and Niklaus are most likely correct in believing their sister’s developed a crush on Jeremy in the small amount of time they seemed to have spent together after the peace treaty was made. Rebekah may never forgive Elena for daggering and betraying her but she was all too willing to give Elena’s brother a chance, quickly getting over her feelings for Matt after leaving the Mikaelson Ball and finding Jeremy at the Mystic Grill, kind and sympathetic. Rebekah was all too happy to narrate the tale to an uncomfortable Elijah who unlike Klaus and Kol wouldn’t mock her or attempt to kill young Jeremy for even looking at his little sister. Jeremy and Rebekah talked and got to know each other. He distracted the blonde from her disappointing night and then sweetly took her home, refusing to take advantage of her upset state. For that at least, Elijah was grateful and he could admit he was happy that his little sister had found someone who may actually be worthy of her affections. Still, it’s difficult to trust anyone with his younger sister’s heart given how many times it’s been broken but he knows Rebekah wouldn’t let any of her brothers interfere with yet another potential relationship so he’ll let it go._

_Rebekah isn’t the only one of his siblings with feelings for one of Elena’s friends. It’s glaringly obvious that Klaus is attempting to court Caroline and even more obvious to everyone but Klaus that Caroline thinks his gifts are an attempt to buy her affections, not knowing that where they grew up, courting gifts were an important tradition. His drawings at least, get a better reaction than the jewellery and dresses although Elijah thinks that despite her reservations, Caroline does in fact like those gifts as well, going by the fact that she did in fact wear them. On the other hand, gestures and actions seem to win her affections far more than gifts as proven by how Caroline seemed to become a whole lot more receptive to Klaus’s attempts after the ball when Klaus opened up to he and showed her the horses which Elijah knows mean a lot to his brother. Klaus always had a way with animals that he doesn’t with people. Mikael of course hated Klaus’s affection for horses growing up (honestly, he hated that any of them had the capacity to love anything- Klaus’s philosophy that love is weakness didn’t come from nowhere after all) but Elijah had convinced him that it was a good thing Klaus took an interest in horses considering they were needed for journeys, raids, hunting trips and other activities which are a sign of strength rather than weakness. Consequently, this was one of few interests and passions that his brother was allowed while they were human and didn’t have to hide from their parents (because Esther rarely hid anything from Mikael)._

_Elijah’s happy Klaus shared something so sacred with Caroline even if he can’t fully support a relationship between the two. He loves his brother but Klaus is bad at dealing with pain and heartbreak. If Caroline hurts him, even without meaning to, he’ll likely lash out and go back to the same Klaus that he was supposed to help in stopping at the very beginning when he first arrived in Mystic Falls. The same brother that everyone considered a monster. Refusing to see that side of his brother again, he can’t support Niklaus’s attempts to win Caroline’s affections. He may not know the young vampire well but he’s seen the way she looks at Stefan and even the way she used to look at Tyler back before he left Mystic Falls to go stay with a werewolf pack far from Mystic Falls. The way she looks at Klaus doesn’t even compare to that and even if she develops real feelings for Klaus based on more than just physical attraction, Elijah doubts that will stop her from breaking his heart further on down the line. For the moment though, he’ll let Klaus carry on courting her and maybe Caroline will surprise him by proving his expectations of her wrong (something very few have ever done, Damon being one of those rare few)._

_However, the same thing can’t be said about his own love life. While Elijah’s siblings love lives are blossoming (possibly even Kol’s with the smile he gets on his face when Damon is mentioned) his own love life is completely non-existent and he’s begging to think he’s cursed to be alone forever. After all, every time he’s let his heart take the lead in the past; every past relationship and possible relationship has ended terribly. Tatia wasn’t the first but she had been the most memorable one. Before her there were two others. First had been a girl only a few years younger than him, Astrid. Her family and his had been hoping for a betrothal and for a while Astrid and Elijah had entertained the idea but eventually they told their parents that neither felt anything more than friendship for the other. Their parents had argued that friendship is the foundation of any good marriage but eventually caved. Astrid married another boy their age just a year after that and they stopped speaking. As the second oldest there wasn’t as much pressure on him to marry but Finn was all too happy to marry a witch in the village, one of Ayanna Bennett’s distant cousins and their wedding happened a year before they became vampires. Luckily they never had any children together (everyone in the village had suspected that one or both of them was unable) so there was less pain when they turned and Finn had to leave her alone for her own safety._

_His and Astrid’s lack of romantic attraction wasn’t the only reason he had refused to marry her though. Unknown to his parents, he had already been in a relationship when they started to seriously propose a betrothal between them. His siblings had known but he had hidden the relationship from Esther and Mikael because they would never have approved it considering his lover had been extremely male, the son of one of Mikael’s friends. Aros had been Elijah’s best and only real friend other than his siblings and if he was females their parents would have had no objections to their relationship considering Aros’ father was extremely powerful but despite there being no rule against same sex relationships at the time, it was only really allowed casually between young boys or girls for a short affair before marriage and seriously frowned upon between men as it was considered a weakness and mocked as not being masculine. Especially submitting to another man. For women it was slightly easier but in the end they were still expected to settle down and remain faithful to a husband who they would remain faithful to._

_Rebekah had never hid it from their parents when she would occasionally sneak off with her female friends to do things that were definitely more than friendly but she still flirted with the boys in their village and was happy to comply when told she would soon need to marry one of those boys. Esther and Mikael (mostly Esther) weren’t very strict and unlike other parents at the time, we’re happy to let their children choose who they would marry in their own time and wouldn’t force relationships on them. Rebekah had two men fighting for her hand in marriage before they turned (one of which she accidentally killed when her hunger got the best of her after they became vampires)._

_Elijah on the other hand couldn’t bring himself to marry some girl who he could never love while still in love with Aros. However, it turns out Aros felt differently and he broke Elijah’s heart when he told the other that he had never loved him, rather it had just been some fun. The next day Aros asked a girls parents for her hand in marriage while Elijah had gone to Ayanna Bennett who was like an Aunt to him and his siblings due to her and Esther’s friendship. He confessed everything and she held him as he cried. She let him stay with her for a few days, giving his parents the excuse that she was trying to unlock his magical potential and teach him since while all the original had the potential for magical, only Finn and Kol were actually good at it. His parents never suspected the truth but his siblings knew that something had happened with him and Aros although they never asked and he never told them the full story. Not long afterwards, Tatia came along and he finally allowed himself to love another. Everyone knows how that had turned out._

_So in summary, not a single one of his relationships has ended well and it all began with Aros who left him in pieces, no longer able to believe in love (at least not the romantic kind) until Tatia came along and he temporarily believed in love again only to lose that belief when she died. The same cycle happened with every single one of his relationships since. It’s left him believing that maybe he’s not meant to find love, happiness. Or maybe he’s just broken; cursed to be attracted only to those he can’t have or his love dooms people to either death or suffering. Elijah doesn’t think it’s worth it anymore and he should simply resign himself to a fate or eternal loneliness._


End file.
